CHRISTIANSTED — A “drug kingpin” who played ball with the feds in order to entrap the underlings in his crack cocaine operation received a reduced sentence in federal court on Monday.
Robert Klyvert, 47, of St. Croix, was sentenced to five years in prison for distribution of crack cocaine, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said.
Visiting U.S. District Court Judge Anne E. Thompson sentenced Klyvert to 60 months and five years of supervised release. Judge Thompson also ordered him to pay a fine of $1,000 and a $100 special assessment.
On January 29, 2019, Klyvert pleaded guilty to distribution of crack cocaine. According to his plea agreement Klyvert, aka “Family,” told a confidential human source (CHS) in September of 2016 that he wanted to begin supplying cocaine to the CHS directly, because one of Klyvert’s drug associates was now dead.
In a series of phone calls and text messages over the next few months, Klyvert advised the CHS that he had a kilogram of cocaine in Florida, that he would contact the CHS once the cocaine arrived in the United States.
Klyvert instructed the CHS that he would need to travel to Florida to obtain the cocaine, which would be “fronted” to the CHS, so that the CHS would have about a week to sell it and pay $25,000 back to the defendant.
According to court documents, Klyvert informed the CHS that the cocaine wasn’t good for “the nose” and that it was only good for converting into crack cocaine.
Klyvert also told the CHS that if he could sell this kilogram quickly, Klyvert’s supplier would ship another kilogram to the United States on January 2, 2017 and the CHS could buy that as well.
On December 27, 2016, Klyvert texted the CHS the phone number for the drug supplier with whom the CHS was to meet in Orlando to obtain the cocaine.
Three days later, the CHS received a text from the contact number supplied by Klyvert providing the address where the CHS was to pick up the drugs.
The address provided was the address of record for Nolly King, Jr., who was subsequently charged, pled guilty, and was sentenced to prison last week in federal court.
February The CHS obtained the cocaine from King and on December 31, 2016, Klyvert texted the CHS advising the CHS that he only needed to pay $22,000 for the cocaine as the amount of cocaine was approximately four ounces short of a full kilo, so the CHS need pay the $25,000 previously agreed upon price.
Laboratory tests confirmed that the substance received by the CHS on December 30, 2016 from King was cocaine base and cocaine hydrochloride with a net weight of 884.18 grams.
As a result of his drug dealing described in court documents, Klyvert was indicted by the federal grand jury in the District of the Virgin Islands on April 13, 2017.
Klyvert was convicted of a role in a cocaine conspiracy in 2004, when allegations first surfaced that he was the “kingpin” of a U.S. Virgin Islands drug outfit, court documents indicated at the time.
He “was the leader of a drug trafficking organization that operated in St. Croix Virgin Islands and elsewhere,” according to an indictment unsealed on April 27, 2017.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
It was was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rhonda Williams-Henry and Melissa Ortiz.